Mystery Wood

Hi,

Of course it's probably only a mystery to me. I picked this up from a guy who said it had been used as a science lab worktop, as it's the type of wood that doesn't absorb the chemicals much.

Picture here.

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It feels a little like oak when carving, though it tears a little like mahogany. I've asked the onyl two carvers I know, who both came up blank. It cuts quite pale, and sands up like this, enhanced here with danish oil.

Apols of this is a to oft asked question - I've searched similar questions with no luck. Of cours eit's proably something very obvious! As a carver I've seen a reasonable amount of wood, but as a new wood turner I'm getting through wood much quicker now!

Kind regards

Steve

Reply to
Steve S
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Hi Steve

This looks a lot like the Afzelia I have turned, there are several Afzelias and the ones I am familiar with look like this, they were and still are used a lot in home construction in my native Netherlands, for stairways, doors, windows and frames, a good indoor and outdoor wood.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Steve S wrote:

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> > It feels a little like oak when carving, though it tears a little like > mahogany. I've asked the onyl two carvers I know, who both came up > blank. It cuts quite pale, and sands up like this, enhanced here with > danish oil. >

Reply to
l.vanderloo

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">Picture > here. >

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> > It feels a little like oak when carving, though it tears a little like > mahogany. I've asked the onyl two carvers I know, who both came up > blank. It cuts quite pale, and sands up like this, enhanced here with > danish oil. >

Looks like Meranti which has been long used as a cheap substitute for teak, the traditional wood for lab benches. Meranti was used for dock pilings as salt water worms and salt water have no effect on it what so ever. Became a major source of rot resistant wood for replacement window frames in Britain. It is like a hard oily mahogany. Peter Visit my site at:

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Reply to
Canchippy

Hi Peter here's a link about Afzelia use, have look and see under usage. As for meranti, that name seems to be used for all kinds of topical timbers. I happen to have a bowl I turned from a to be piling that did not pass inspection, for there was a big rotten part in it, the sawyer who was a personal friend of mine, cut a large part off that piling for me, it was quite purple in color I seem to remember, and it did split quite a lot, which I was told was normal for that wood, all this goes back more than 40 years, and the marine borer infestation was only resent at that time I recall.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Canchippy wrote:

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">Picture > > here. > >

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> > > > It feels a little like oak when carving, though it tears a little like > > mahogany. I've asked the onyl two carvers I know, who both came up > > blank. It cuts quite pale, and sands up like this, enhanced here with > > danish oil.

Reply to
l.vanderloo

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Have fun Leo Van Der Loo

Reply to
l.vanderloo

Hi guys, Thanks for the suggestions - it's very interesting. It seems to split easily, (even though old and stable) so that's also very interesting.

Cheers - Steve

snipped-for-privacy@rogers.com wrote:

Reply to
Steve S

Odum,( or Iroko, or Mvule) is very different...I have a large chunk of "Milicia excelsa" cut in Uganda

I'd 'almost' be willing to bet this is Panga Panga "Milettia stuhlmannii"...a 1st cousin to Wenge "Milettia laurenti"....I have a large table & chairs made from Panga Panga. The color in the photo is a bit off, and different samples will fool you, but that's the only thing I know of that comes close.

Reply to
Odin

Reply to
robo hippy

I second the vote for panga panga. I've worked with it before and it had the same figuring as the wood in your pic and it was prone to splitting. My pieces were a little more brown and a bit less mauve than the wood in you pictures, but of course there can certainly be color variations between pieces as odin mentioned.

You can see a pic of a hairpin I made out of panga panga here:

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The pieces I had came from East Africa. Emily

Reply to
Emily P

Hey! My granddaughter's name is Emily P.

One of my high school classmates, with whom I'm still friends, is named Emily.

When my son called me when Emily was born, she told me her name was Emily Leslie (Leslie is my first name). I immediatly called my friend and told her we were now linked for life--her name and mine.

I just had to tell you that.

Reply to
LRod

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